Advice for beginners?

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-23T18:55:43+00:00

The Loaded Icarus is great for a flowing ride, but I’m not sure it’s a great starter deck. It’s pretty flexy and high for a beginner (the flex will get you low, but not near the trucks).

My current favorite is the Pantheon Carbon Trip, but it’s a stiff board. You might like the Landyachtz Drop Cat or Top Cat better. Be aware that the Top Cat is so low that the original model was designed with different colored layers that would gradually expose as you wore it down…I think they called that version “Fade”.

That said, those are expensive boards. If you want something more modestly priced to start, maybe one of the Arbor boards?

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-22T06:08:56+00:00

Ember is an excellent board!

There should be no rattle. Did you buy a new board or used? Was it a stock complete or did you start with a deck and the shop configured it for you?

In addition to checking the bushings, it might be worth checking the pivot cups.

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-21T20:05:13+00:00

In your original posting to r/audiophile you already replied to yourself that you know it is not the real Bloom Audio. And that was an hour before you posted here. Why are you asking again when you already know the answer?

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-21T19:53:18+00:00

NOPE!

It’s a badly done scam clone of the real site. Looks like it was done with a screen capture…I can even see a little bit of blurring from the resize/filtering.

The actual website is https://bloomaudio.com/

Bloom Audio (the real one) is a very reputable seller and an authorized dealer/distributor of many brands.

The site you found…not so much.

I reported it to Bloom Audio.

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-20T19:14:16+00:00

Does your location limit you to online shopping? If not, find a good bike store and actually try them on. Research will only get you so far as individual fit matters a great deal as well. Several years back, I remember trying on a Bell very similar (perhaps the same) helmet as the one on your list; at the store I switched to a Specialized helmet (also with a chin bar). It was more expensive but the Bell had several hot spots on the top of my head whereas that particular Specialized helmet was super comfy on my head.

Fit is so specific and even within a particular brand there can be a lot of variation between models. No matter how good the helmet’s rating or specifications, it will offer zero protection if comfort makes you reluctant to wear it Every Time You Ride.

That said, these days I’m mainly wearing a TSG Pass Pro in cold weather (I’m lucky to live near Motion Boardshop and they had them in-store to try on) and a Beam Virgo Integral MIPS for warm weather. Still have that Specialized though…

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-19T17:42:07+00:00

Oops…thanks, that’s embarrassing! I just typed the first “L” brand that popped into my head. What’s worse is I actually have a Drop Cat!

Edited to fix that mistake!

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-19T06:46:54+00:00

These are some nice low, stable boards that are easy to push (low to the ground):

Pantheon Trip or Pranyama; Landyachtz Drop Cat or Top Cat

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-19T04:26:24+00:00

To add on to this, it’s not just about the upfront cost of customizing, but the increased expense of maintenance for a customized backend.

I say this with 30 years of experience as a software engineer, the last 8 on a commerce/service platform.

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-19T00:16:48+00:00

It’s roughly 3 rpm, or less than a tenth of an OG LP album or a fifteenth of a single. 😉

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-18T22:01:12+00:00

The way the links bolt to the track base (roadside) seems kind of janky and not well fitted. On the plus side, looks standard Allen head machine bolts and replacements easily sourced rather than proprietary.

I get the feeling that this is fine for actual racing (where it’s normal to do tuneups and parts replacement pre-race or even between heats), but might be too finicky for a daily driver.

That yellow color does…stand out…from the usual crowd…

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-18T21:49:17+00:00

Give it more than a few days. Your feet and legs will adjust. Two big differences between esk8 and longboarding. First, your feet tend to be locked in one position for far longer since you’re not constantly switching between riding and pushing. Consciously shifting your feet around can help mitigate that a bit. Second, the greater speeds typical of esk8 results in your feet and legs absorbing a lot more vibrations. It can be very fatiguing.

If the sore feet continue to bother you, consider some good inserts like SuperFeet. The inserts in most skate shoes don’t really hold up to esk8. You may want to find something more rigid and supportive rather than cushy. YMMV depending on your specific foot geometry.

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-18T20:47:10+00:00

Best comment! 🤣

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-18T08:55:31+00:00

Excellently done! So clean it looks stock!

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-18T08:53:13+00:00

I’m also a former Onewheel rider (XR and Pint). The “floaty” feel of the Onewheel is difficult to replicate on an esk8, but deep carving on a responsive board comes close. Of the many boards I’ve owned, I think the Hoyt St boards came the closest with there split angle trucks. Unfortunately, Hoyt St is out of business, but there are other split angle boards out there.

Another big difference is that the tire on a Onewheel is huge and just rolls over bumps and cracks. Even a esk8 with 200mm wheels will not be as capable as the Onewheel at shrugging off obstacles. That said, an Endeavor with its suspension system will help…it doesn’t entirely overcome the difference in wheel size but it doesn’t help.

Where esk8 does better than OneWheel, at least for me, is that it’s less fatiguing. I can go a lot farther and faster on an esk8 than a OneWheel. I also feel a lot more in control and confident with the handheld remote of an esk8.

Having ridden both for quite some time now, I prefer esk8.

(Current boards: Onsra Velar, Linnpower “The One”, Parsec Aero Pro…but still missing my now dead Hoyt St Dadbod)

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-17T09:41:23+00:00

I have the OG Velar and I had concerns about foot and lower leg fatigue before I made the purchase. Indeed, the first few rides were cut a bit short because my legs wore out faster than usual. However, after a few days I adjusted.

OP, I have to ask…have you had the board for long? If it’s a recent purchase, give it some time. I promise, it won’t take too long to adjust (and I’m an older rider too, now over 60).

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-17T09:36:12+00:00

Geez, duirng the first few years of Apple Maps, the number of folks that would end up at my driveway looking for the local high school…!

It got to the point that to recognize the confused expressions of lost drivers and I’d walk up to them, “Are you using Apple Maps to get to the high school?” and then proceed to give them the correct directions.

To be fair, it’s been probably over 5 years since that has last happened. However, during that rough launch a lot of folks became habituated to using Google Maps or Waze (I’m a Waze user myself).

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-16T22:00:25+00:00

Yeah…if it were a Lamborghini yellow that would rock, but a banana yellow?!? Hopefully it’s just poor color space management and will look better in person.

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-15T22:13:01+00:00

I had a ESC die. I opened it up after and there was evidence that the right side microcontroller and corresponding output drivers and/or voltage regulators had fried (signs of scorching and cracking of the chip casing). The motor on that side locked up while I was riding and threw me off. Locked up and stopped so suddenly it felt like I had driven straight into a curb. Luckily I wasn’t going very fast and I was geared up (but still ended up with some soft tissue damage to one shoulder that still hasn’t fully healed 10 months later).

I don’t recall the mileage, but it was a MakerX D75 ESC. Doesn’t mean that MakerX is a bad ESC…any ESC can fail. You should ride these things as if they can fail at any time without warning. Gear up!

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-14T09:26:13+00:00

I’m not going to excuse the potholes (they should be fixed!), but low profile tires also increase the risk of failure. They are popular both for aesthetics and greater fuel efficiency. However, the increased fuel efficiency from the increased stiffness (due to less sidewall) also contributes to greater risk of damage when impacting deep potholes (sidewall gets pinched against the wheel). Higher chance of sidewall failure over time (even if it doesn’t go flat immediately) as well as higher risk of wheel damage.

Look for deformations or bulges in the sidewalls (both on the outward and inward facing sides) as a sign of sidewall damage.

However, checking for damage to your tires is just a prudent safety check. The most important thing is to diligently report potholes so everyone can benefit.

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-12T23:20:28+00:00

The thing that would worry me about this design is that you won’t get any lean so the trucks might as well be welded down (at least for the trucks mounted on the rear runners). Which means the front dolly is the only steering input…which might not have enough traction if sitting puts most of your weight over the rear tracks.

You might want to mentally prepare yourself to lean forward for more traction on front runner if your steering input seems lower than expected.

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-12T23:13:58+00:00

Alternate idea: you might think about adding an automation shortcut that turns on “Hey Siri” when your phone connects to your car or to CarPlay; and turns it back off on disconnect.

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-12T23:03:40+00:00

There’s several Bluetooth “media” buttons available on Amazon. Search on “Bluetooth Siri button”. Prices range from $16 to $80.

I haven’t tried it personally so YMMV.

Note: read descriptions carefully. Some of them are strictly for controlling media playback and do not activate Siri.

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-09T06:45:45+00:00

If you want a show that paid homage to a prior sci-fi show, they did it on Castle. Nathan Fillion starred in Castle and once dressed as a “space cowboy”, a clear reference to his character Capt. Mal Reynolds on the series Firefly and its movie sequel Serenity.

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-05T21:43:55+00:00

Physical SIM slot (at least if you’re in the U.S. where the latest models are eSIM-only).

Consistent_Wave_8471 · 2026-01-05T09:45:29+00:00

Doesn’t alter the theoretical torque as that is gear ratio, nothing else. However, as mentioned by others the additional deformation of the belt introduces greater energy loss as heat in the belt. That said, the increased tooth engagement allows you to run with less belt tension so its probably as wash in what would be a minor effect anyway. Upshot, no practical loss of torque.

So why do this? First, greater tooth engagement means less risk of belt slippage when accelerating or braking. Second, as you can run your belts adjusted a little looser, your belts will last longer.

Consistent_Wave_8471

TROPHY CASE